Bill File

In response to a proposal for a National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that would open up US coastlines to offshore drilling, New Jersey passed Assembly Bill 839 to formally ban offshore drilling along its coastline. This bill, which was signed in the spring of 2018, prohibits the leasing of tidal or submerged lands in state waters 3-miles off of the coastline for oil/natural gas exploration, development, or production. The basis of this ban lies in the importance of New Jersey’s coastal tourism, fisheries, and recreation to its state economy and the threat of offshore drilling poses to the health of its coastline.